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Upcoming Reviews

Upcoming reviews we missed in the past two years:

1) Big K.R.I.T. - K.R.I.T wiz here

2) Big K.R.I.T - Return of 4EVA

3) Everything else

WE'RE BACK!!!

We're back, baby!!! Hit us up on a PM for any old link's that you may need re-activated.

Charles Hamilton - This Perfect Life (Album Review)

Charles Hamilton has had a controversial rise to fame since he start pumping out mixtapes back in 2006. Charles is unique in that he raps as well produces his own music. He mostly samples other songs to make his beats and sometimes gets criticized for doing so. I usually download his mixtapes for the simple fact that he is doing things differently. His mixtapes can range in quality, but lately I have only really liked a track or two from each because he can get carried away on some different shit. However, This Perfect Life (which has just gotten shelved), is miles better than his average mixtapes. It’s been in heavy rotation for a bout a week now. I cant get enough of it. The album is filled with strange concepts, personal honesty, and some very dynamic rapping. This album should also be evaluated from a production standpoint and from that angle it is what I always wanted from him. Charles uses his choppy sampling technique to perfection by sampling some classic tracks like Tom’s Diner. He raps tight the whole time and was dynamic throughout the album. He even showed that he can rap with an up-tempo style such as on All Alone and Baby. This album is very consistent and flows well all the way through. It definitely rejuvenated my interest in him. The standout tracks were Three Pound Bullet, Ghosts (sick sample), All Alone, Cable in the Classroom, Baby, Tears of Fire, and Rosado, 4.25/5.

1. “Barbara Walters” - “Geronimo” by The Shadows
2. “Three Pound Bullet” - “Street Player” by Chicago
3. “Ghosts” - “Tom’s Diner” by Susan Vega
4. “Post Lynching Ceremony” - “Persuader’s Theme” by John Barry
5. “All Alone” - NO SAMPLE
6. “Cable in the Classroom” - “To the Other Man” by Luther Ingram (originally heard in “Gobstopper” on “Donuts”)
7. “Baby” - “Super Sonic” by Zodiac
8. “Reminder” - NO SAMPLE
9. “Tears of Fire” - “I Come Undone” by Jennifer Rush
10. “Long Socks” - “The Mess We’re In” by PJ Harvey
11. “Rosado”- “Kiss of Life” by Sade

Charles Hamilton - This Perfect Life Direct Download

Two 5-Stars Tracks From 2 of the Best Out

Wake up bitches, Wiz Khalifa is fire. He is really growing into his own persona. I see the How Fly Mixtape collabo with Curren$y as his turning point in finding his character. Now he is running with that shit and I am loving it.

Don’t forget to check out that new Curren$y album Jet Files either. Shit is fire and better than his first in my opinion. Sorry guys for the shortage of the reviews but we’re just too fucking busy.

Caribou Lou

Sorry we haven't been posting much content guys. We're pretty busy drinking that 151 rum, making girls come.

Turn that BASS UP.

Lil Boosie – A Few Sick Tracks

I have probably 10-15 Lil Boosie tapes and a few albums. I always sort of liked his shit but couldn't really get into him. However for some reason his latest mixtape, Bad, won me over. I don’t think it is even official tape (it is just a DJ collection), but I am definitely feeling his shit now. He is doing his thing rapping about real street shit and I believe him. His style is unlike anybody else in rap. If you have never given him a chance, check these tracks out and let me know if they are as good as I think they are. Lookout for the review of Bad coming soon.

Drake is easily manufactured?

Eddie Huang’s (of Hip Hop DX) opinion is that Drake is not a good representation of Hip Hop because he isn’t like Kanye; he is easily copied. He certainly brings in the pre-teen bitches aka the experts on quality hip hop. Still, I wouldn’t want to be on stage copying this. Full story HERE.

On the real though, I respect Drake’s music. Freestyling off a Blackberry or not, he can sing and rap. I bump his shit even when my lady isn’t around. I don’t need serious/meaningful hip hop lyrics all the time. Sorry haters.

Kaz-well – Fish Outta Water (Album Review)

Hip Hop DX rant:

First off fuck Hip Hop DX. They really fucked up on this one. This album was definitely sick. I don’t know much about Kaz-well but I do know he knows how to make a great concept album. He is from the Bay area but doesn’t show any characteristics of Bay Area music that I am familiar with. Yes Fish Outta Water has the same title as the recently released Chali 2Na album, but who gives a fuck. They were released a week apart.  Actually, it looks like this came out first but the original release date for Chali was June 23, 2009 (pushed back to July 7), one week after Kaz-well’s release. This was obviously a coincidence and will have no affect on this review.

Album Review:

Kaz-well seems like a somewhat amateur rap artist who put his all in to produce the best album he could. His lyrics are crafted perfectly to match the 80’s inspired beats provided by DJ Scotty Doo. This album is inventive in so many ways, but does have its low points, mostly due to the apparent inexperience of Kaz. This album comes together as a spiritual, emotional rollercoaster ride. The album begins with his description of his development as an artist stemming as early as infancy. Kaz then shows us he is more than just a stereotypical rapper: first he gives us a motivational track, Whisper of the Gods and follows it up by telling listeners tales of how he  shines with his artistry as opposed to showing off material possessions on Take Me Home. His “back in the days” track, Three Words, takes listeners to his teenage days of puppy love and heartache as listeners witness Kaz getting left by his schoolyard girlfriend. This was probably my favorite just because it is so relatable, not to mention well produced. Kaz touches on so many different subjects on album it is overwhelming. He isn't afraid to get spiritual on here as well. On the track The Beach he is trying to find his definition paradise (heaven, I guess). This type of subject exploration will most likely limit his acceptance in the rap world. Accepted or not this album is thought provoking, original, smooth, and positively inclined. Aside from some noticeable flaws in Kaz-well’s rap delivery the album is near perfect in my eyes. There is no point in breaking this album down track by track, it is a purely conceptual album that is done in such a way that you feel as if Kaz has taken you just where he wants you to go: on a trippy ride though time and a mystical walk in the clouds, 4.5/5. Are you ready for it?

01. Krazy Glue ( 3:40)
02. Whisper Of The Godz ( 3:13)
03. Take Me Home ( 3:55)
04. Three Words ( 4:12)
05. Ain't So Far Away ( 3:01)
06. The Beach ( 2:56)
07. Another Day ( 3:42)
08. Right Here ( 3:28)
09. Let Me In ( 4:39)

Kaz-well - Fish Outta Water Direct Download

Stack Bundles – R.I.P.

Stack Bundles, I miss you man. I still bump your shit on the reg. No one has that charisma like you man. Your tracks are always in constant rotation on the pod. Timeless for real. No one will ever come close to you in word play, style, or flow. I was just missing your shit today so I wanted to put it up. SQUAD UP!

 

Real deep hood shit.

 

No one was fucking with you.

 

This should’ve been your beat.

 

Good concept, keeping it real, paying respects the right way; one of my favs. Yeah he talks about Winni Pooh on a track, what of it?

 

Classic. Classic. Classic. Nas who?

 

If anyone is looking for Stack tracks you can hit me up I got ‘em all or hit up Farrockstar

Curren$y - This Ain’t No Mixtape (Album Review) Late

Curren$y Rant:

I have only recently started following Curren$y, “tha Hot Spitta,” after his past two mixtapes. He has what he describes on the track Galaxy as a “mild tone’ flow and it doesn't change much from song to song; you either like him a lot or you don’t like him at all. He has a lot of fans who all feel he is the best in the game. So, when I first heard him I had my expectations built up to hear some ridiculously different shit from the dude. However, on my first listen I didn't immediately feel him and brushed it off as misguided respect. I thought he had a really average flow, but once I figured out his style was more of a laid-back lyricism, I started to let him in to the Ipod. He has put out a bunch of mixtapes most of which are solid hip hop gems. Once you get past his low key style you really start to like the dude. He is a quiet, mellow rapper with a lot of intelligent lines that you may miss on initial judgments.

Album Review:

Curren$y’s freshman album, This Ain’t No Mixtape, probably shouldn't even be considered an album. It is exactly like his mixtapes and has no new concepts at all, just slightly improved beats. Still, true Spitta fans have jumped at the chance to purchase his album after having been leaked 7 mixtapes for free. Curren$y’s problem on some tracks is that he will get noticeably lazy with his flow at some points during verses.  Common subjects in his raps are: hitting groupie girls that he gets from rap stardom and also how much better he is than the rest of the rap industry. I feel he is not any different from many other artists in terms of content, but his style and blatant authenticity repackage the common occurring themes into a whole new rap offering. Re-gifting is acceptable in this case. He is very relatable because you can feel he is actually living what he's talking. I think there are a lot of rap fans who are like me and have not figured out what is so good about the dude. My advice for you is: play it over and over, it gets better with every listen OR just simply light up and smoke to it. The best track on here was Food For Thought, it was hot in all aspects: lyrics, beat, and hook. The other hot tracks on this album are: Blown Away, Scared Of Monstas, Elevator Musik, On My Plane, Sail On, Power Button, Food 4 Thought, Galaxy. Although there is nothing out of the ordinary on this release it is more of the same consistent intelligent laid back lyrics fans expect from Curren$y laid over unique smooth hip hop beats, 3.9/5.

01 - The briefing
02 - Get it ya self (feat. Deelow)
03 - Blown away (feat. Deelow & Jean Lephare)
04 - Scared of monstas
05 - Elevator musik
06 - On my plane (feat. Deelow)
07 - 16 switches spitter
08 - The Jets son (feat. Deelow & Jean Lephare)
09 - LOL (feat. Trademark Da Skydiver, Deelow & Jean Lephare)
10 - Sail on (feat. Young Chris)
11 - Got it
12 - Power button
13 - Up here (feat. Young Roddy)
14 - Cook up (feat. Bun B & Deelow)
15 - Food 4 thought (feat. Mickey Factz & Amanda Diva)
16 - Galaxy (feat. Deelow, Jean Lephare & Whodinsky)
17 - Look up at The Jets (Exclusive Hidden Bonus Track)
18 - Top of the money (Exclusive Hidden Bonus Track)
19 - Something like (feat. Street Wiz & Fiend) (Exclusive Hidden Bonus Track)

Curren$y - This Ain’t No Mixtape Direct Download

Pitbull - Shitting On The Industry (Mixtape Review)

I haven't given Pitbull much of my time in the past but decided to give this new mixtape, Shitting On The Industry, a listen. It definitely exceeded my expectations. Still, he is basically only a reggaeton club-banger rapper. It seems like he knows that but he does try to seem like something more this tape. Those efforts fail mostly or just come off weak in comparison to similar themed tracks by other rappers. Putting his attempts at becoming more content-rich aside, he is quite an impressive rapper for his style. When he jumps on remixes he usually adds to them with his rapid fire half-rap, half-reggaeton flow. He is one dimensional but he is not parading around being a fake gangster to fit in. Basically, he is good at what he does. I could do without all his cocaine themed concept tracks because they usually come off sounding corny, like on Dope Ball and Cocaine Cowboy. I don't want to hear him trying to become more creative, I just want to dance with my girl to his tracks. The only growth I want during his music is my dick when I'm grinding with my chick on the dance floor. The hot remixes and quality tracks he did on this were: Fire Burning, Back To The Future, Birthday Sex, Can't Stop, Give Em What They Ask For, Nothing Nothing, Survival Of The Fittest, and the Rebelution preview, 3.25/5.

01 -Pitbull-Rebelution [02:21]
(Preview) [produced by DJ Noodles & DJ Bud
02 -Pitbull Ft. Avery Storm-Triumph (Preview) [01:31]
03 -Pitbull-Pitbull Speaks #1 (Skit) [01:41]
04 -Pitbull Ft. T-Pain-Maybach Music 3 [01:52]
05 -Pitbull-Nobody Do it Better [02:09]
06 -Pitbull-Conglomerate [01:31]
07 -Pitbull-Survival of the Fittest [01:48]
08 -Pitbull-Picture Me [02:32]
09 -Pitbull Ft. Trick Daddy-City of Gods [02:40]
(Preview)
10 -Pitbull Ft. Yo Gotti-5 Star [01:34]
11 -Pitbull-Watch it Drop [02:02]
12 -Pitbull-Cocaine Cowboy [02:36]
13 -Pitbull-Shittin on the Industry (Skit) [01:05]
14 -Pitbull-Nothing Nothing [01:41]
15 -Pitbull-Dope Ball [02:11]
(Preview) [produced by DJ Noodles]
16 -Pitbull-The Music Biz (Skit) [01:06]
17 -Pitbull-Can't Stop [01:44]
18 -Pitbull Ft. Billy Blue-Yayo [02:08]
19 -Pitbull-What They Want [01:42]
20 -Pitbull Ft. Robin Thicke-Bad Girls [01:51]
21 -Pitbull-Google Me [03:51]
22 -Pitbull-Can't Tell Me Shit [01:26]
23 -Pitbull-Give Em What They Ask for [01:53]
(Preview)
24 -Pitbull-Therepy [01:45]
25 -Pitbull-O-K [01:25]
26 -Pitbull-I'm the Shit (Noodles Mix) [01:56]
27 -Pitbull-I'm in Miami Trick [01:45]
28 -Pitbull-Birthday Sex [01:39]
29 -Pitbull-I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho) [01:36]
30 -Pitbull Ft. Sean Kingston-Fire Burning [01:34]
31 -Pitbull-Back to the Future [03:02]
32 -Pitbull-Hotel Room Service (Urban Mix) [04:05]

Pitbull - Shitting On The Industry Direct Download

Dorrough – Dorrough Music (Album Review)

Dorrough came out of nowhere for me. He is from Dallas and has some Texas swag. This album, Dorrough Music, is nothing serious; it is just a light and fun album that will bump in the system. His lyrics are mind numbingly simple, but are not terrible. According to his song A Whole Lotta he is 'new school hip hop.' I would have to agree (sadly). His upfront and dumbed down style is actually likable at times. He has some banging beats (some of which sound like I may have heard before). He is usually rapping about cars, bitches, and hustling. There are no terrible cuts on here but there are a lot of average and non-distinct southern rap tunes. However, he has a some banging singles that have a bit originality to them in terms of delivery and flow. This wasn't a terrible album but it leaves me wanting more consistent originality and more content. The cuts that bang were Boy I Grind, Ice Cream Paint Job, Piece And Chain Swangin, This Time You Was Wrong, Walk That Walk (familiar sounding beat though), and Wired To The T, and Trunk Bang. The remaining tracks we're mediocre and forgettable, 3.25/5.

01. Boy I Grind 4:13
02. Ice Cream Paint Job 3:57
03. She Ain't Got It All (Feat. Lil Flip) 4:09
04. Hood Song (Feat. Tomeka Pearl) 4:11
05. Flashout (Feat. Mista Mac) 3:45
06. Never Changed 4:29
07. Feel This 3:36
08. Piece & Chain Swangin (Feat. Lil Flip) 4:22
09. This Time You Was Wrong 4:20
10. Walk That Walk 3:49
11. Wired To The T 3:22
12. Trunk Bang (Feat. Tum Tum) 4:40
13. What's My Ringtone 4:07
14. A Whole Lotta 4:00
15. Caramel Sundae (Feat. Fat B) 4:27

 Dorrough - Dorrough Music Direct Download

Raekwon - Cuban Revolution (Mixtape Review)

This new tape Cuban Revolution, said to be released by Raekwon, is parading around as an official release but is nothing more than a blend (by Memory Man) of some Clasic Wu verses. There is no exclusive content here, but no one seems to be noticing. Nonetheless it is a banging mix of various Wu verses some of which didn't get the original bump-age they deserved. It plays like new material and all fits well together. There is not much else to say here, most of these verses  were parts of great songs before the blends. Enjoy 4/5.

1.Cuban Revolution Intro
2.All That Money Is Us
3.Run Away (ft. Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, Method Man & GZA)
4.Better Shoot Something
5.Cipher Born (ft. Ghostface Killah & U-God)
6.Get Your Shit Beat In (ft. Polite, Chip Banks, Ghostface Killah & Trife Diesel)
7.Slang Copulation (ft. Nas, Cappadonna & Ghostface Killah)
8.Curiosity
9.Iron Chef (ft. Ghostface Killah, Polite & Inspectah Deck)
10.A Wise Man
11.Cuban Revolution Interlude
12.We Gettin’ Knots (ft. Fat Joe, Armageddon & Big Pun)
13.Fearless Ninjas (ft. Ghostface Killah)
14.The All-Time Lineup (ft. American CREAM Team, Inspectah Deck & Method Man)
15.Live Kid (ft. Notorious BIG & Ghostface Killah)

Raekwon - Cuban Revolution Direct Download

Havoc - From Now On (Mixtape Review)

Havoc is one half of the group Mobb Deep (and the better half in my opinion). He is holding down Mobb while Prodigy is in jail. I haven't really been into Mobb Deep since Shook Ones days and became even less a fan when they signed to G-Unit. However, this new Havoc tape, From Now On, goes hard. I didn't expect it to be as good as it was. The production was good and most of the beats were banging for East Coast production. As far as lyrics go Havoc doesn't let down as he supplies his quality street knowledge on wax.  However, he sometimes uses a monotonic delivery which can make him sound boring on some tracks. You can tell when he is feeling tracks because he abandons that lazy flow. The most personal and deep track on here that stood out the most to me is, Always Have A Choice. The banging beat mixed with Havoc’s signature rhyme style match perfectly. You can tell he worked hard to drop real content that actually meant something. This was an altogether tight tape for Havoc despite a few mediocre tracks. He has definitely begun to regain my respect. The standouts that are exclusive to this tape were Bang Bang, Handle My Handle, H Is Back, Fly With Me, Always Have A Choice, You Take Her, and Sex Tape, 3.75/5.

1 - Smells Like 9/5
2 - What’s That Smell?
3 - Bang Bang ft. Lloyd Banks
4 - That’s How You Feel?
5 - Fly With Me
6 - Always Have a Choice
7 - Letter to P
8 - Handle My Handle
9 - Call from Cousin Ferb (Skit)
10 - H is Back
11 - You Know My Name ft. Philthy
12 - Keep on Talking ft. Prodigy
13 - Computer Crash (Skit)
14 - Going OT
15 - Sex Tape
16 - You Take Her ft. Freeway and Termanology
17 – Believer

**Bonus Tracks**

18 - 24k Rap f. Raekwon
19 - Evil Deeds f. Ghostface & RZA

Havoc - From Now On Direct Download

Miami Giving Away Its House Keys

Pitbull just got one. I'm about to fly down and start yelling CULO in front of City Hall to see if I qualify.

Click the Link for More.

Proof That Jay-Z Ain't Shit

Jay-Z has released the tweaked tracklist for his forthcoming Blueprint 3. The updated version will not include the rumored collaboration between himself and Nas, which was to be titled "Empire State of Mind." Instead, Hov has enlisted Alicia Keys for the track which will keep its original title.

Good news for Nas, I wouldn't want to be on a Jay-Z track either, but wtf is Jay thinking? Nas > Jay on his worst day.

More at HipHopDX.


FUN FACT:
A camel can store up to 20 gallons over water in their bloodstream. With a mouth that big I bet Jay-Z can fill up in minutes.

Trav – Follow Me (Mixtape Review)

Trav is back with a follow up mixtape to his previous tape, The Way I See It (reviewed HERE), which we liked a lot. I am really digging his style. He keeps it gangster, but brings his own unique flavor to his music. His flow is usually dynamic and he can adapt to any beat he is given. On this mixtape, Follow Me, he deals with subjects of betrayal, enemies, and other elements of living the gangster lifestyle. Although these subjects have been beaten to death since the beginning of hip hop, Trav puts his own swag and style into his rhymes as to repackage the deal in a seemingly new way. He is on the come up and has no shortage of originality or talent. We will definitely be looking into his next tapes. The standouts were Is Everything Ok Pt. 1, Suit and Tie, Ride The Wave (old), My Bitch, No Bright Days, and Know. This was good tape from him, but packed with less bangers and more average tracks than his first tape, 3.5/5.

01 No Bright Days
02 Know
03 Follow Me
04 Is Everything Ok Pt. 1
05 Stay On The Low
06 Suit & Tie Ft. Rain
07 Money On My Head
08 I'm So Horny
09 Ride The Wave
10 First Name Last Name
11 Be Mine
12 My Bitch

Trav - Follow Me Direct Download

Papoose - Military Grind (Mixtape Review)

Bleys’s Papoose Rant:

Papoose is no longer a new artist in my eyes. He has been around for quite a few year gaining underground buzz by solely releasing mixtapes. Back in 2007, he was really gaining popularity within the NY street scene. He was on point with everything. He was as versatile as any artist could be. When you listened to his shit it made you want to pick up your pen and start writing rhymes (even if you were like me and had zero talent). In other words he was a true lyricist. He could spit in every style, outshine anyone, and send chills down your spine with his complex and yet down to earth street lyrics. Not only was he streetwise, but you could usually find some positive and powerful message lingering behind his music. Even if you re-listen to his old shit that you may have heard over and over (ANY of his first 14 mixtapes), you will still hear a line or two that makes you go HO-LY SHIT! His beats have never really been perfect, but he used to make them work. However, beats didn't matter much especially on his first few tapes. It was all lyricism; raw and uncut. There was a while in his career, before the deal with Jive, where his music would knock me out of my seat. Then … he got signed and down came the waterfall to water down every verse. It wasn't immediate though, it was more linear. Either way, up until early-mid 2009 I just couldn’t stand listening to him anymore.

Mixtape Review:

For an entire year between 2008-2009 most of Papoose’s tracks were sloppily written, poorly executed, missing any previous originality they may have had. It was only in the beginning of this year that he started to comeback to his old self. This new mixtape (#22), Military Grind, shows about 40% of what he is capable of. The hottest tracks on here that represent what Pap is really about as far as lyrics and flow are: Knock Em Down (so sick), Pay Homage, Will To Survive, So Much More, Show & Prove, Power Cipher, B.E.T Freestyle, TKO, and Amnesia. The rest of this 24 track mixtape ranged from mediocre to terrible, 2.75/5. I am still trying to find some way to burn Swaggaction out my memory. It hasn’t worked yet. To prevent you from wanting to chuck your ipod at the wall while listening to the bad tracks, I just took them out and left the standouts. For this version click the second (Trimmed) link.

01. Papoose - Intro
02. Papoose - Two Hitter Quitter
03. Papoose - Realest To Run It
04. Papoose - Pay Homage
05. Papoose - Knock Em Down
06. Papoose - Will To Survive
07. Papoose - So Much More
08. Papoose - Show & Prove
09. Papoose - The Return Of The God
10. Papoose - Power Cipher
11. Papoose - B.E.T Freestyle
12. Papoose - Swaggaction
13. Papoose - I Just Want The Paper
14. Papoose - Foolish
15. Papoose - Rule
16. Papoose - Goin Back Home
17. Papoose - In Da Kitchen
18. Papoose - Fellin Some Way
19. Papoose - TKO
20. Papoose - Trophy Girl
21. Papoose - Amnesia
22. Papoose - TEST
23. Papoose - Military Grind
24. Papoose - Pillow Talk

Papoose - Military Grind Direct Download

Papoose - Military Grind Direct Download (Trimmed)

Shout Out To Joe Smith AKA prada212@yahoo.com

Earlier we reviewed Aztec's Destined 4 Greatness and it was so bad we didn't have the heart to give it a one or even a zero. I didn't even get past the third track before I removed all traces of it from my computer. If you ain't heard it yet, we just want ya'll to know there ain't a low enough number for how bad that shit is.

Don't get it confused though we love Aztec the person (i think), we just thought you might enjoy reading what the management behind a rapper with cosigns from Snoop, Fabolous, Swizz Beatz, Foxy Brown, Joe Budden, Just Blaze, Saigon, JR Writer, and others, has to say to us.






To Joe Smith:

Honestly dude what are you going to do? You going to knock us out with your Prada bag? You going to get at us with your white boys? Shut your mouth, if our traffic is high enough for you to throw a bitch fit, you'd better give up on HustleHardPromotions. Oh, and I googled you. I bet you can tell me how many hits I got. (hint: less than one)

To Aztec:

Get some better management and get to work, because you ain't nice. At all. We will be glad to review your next mixtape and actually score it, if it isn't a total waste of our time. Untill then, please, I beg you, tell your PR to stop sending us flowers, teddy bears, and love letters and shit.